Database Info

Any problems with the GPS on the captivate?

Hi Guys,
I've been hearing about lots of problems with the GPS not picking up low SNR satellites and the GPS being wildly inaccurate on the samsung vibrant and also the euro variants of the galaxy s.
Does the captivate have the same issue?

Its true. I bought it on sunday an notice that issue. Hope there will be a update(Bug fix) soon.

Compare to my G1, the Captivate take about the same time to lock and GPStest says the SNR is better. I'm happy with it.

MFister said:
Hi Guys,
I've been hearing about lots of problems with the GPS not picking up low SNR satellites and the GPS being wildly inaccurate on the samsung vibrant and also the euro variants of the galaxy s.
Does the captivate have the same issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Define Wildly inaccurate. On my Captivate it is dead on (within 9 feet)

I am having major problems with GPS. I am getting a lock but only within 50-75 feet. It isn't good at all. The GPS is slow to update and throws me everywhere.
I amthinking of returning the phone if Samsung doesn't make an announcement about s fix for this.

dial this from your phone:
*#*#1472365#*#*
Change startup from hot to cold.....worked for me. GPS locks much much faster

What are the settings on your phone Citznfish? My phone is off by anywhere from 100-500ft. Thanks!

Ok, I tried it again... In the house I'm about 500 ft off from where I really am and placed in a golf fairway. Outside I am FURTHER off: I'd estimate at least 5 blocks and placed in the middle of a different golf fairway. For comparision sake, my wife's iPhone 3Gs has her within 10-20' while inside the house. To me, this is unacceptable and a great cause for concern. What can I do???

Smalls2 said:
dial this from your phone:
*#*#1472365#*#*
Change startup from hot to cold.....worked for me. GPS locks much much faster
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same problem here. My iPhone 3GS GPS responded way quicker then this phone does. I have a Weather Channel widget up, and it doesn't find the location to display the weather for a good minute and a half after. Same goes for using Google Maps to find my location. Lot of times it says, "Your location is unavailable." I even tried switching the startup from hot to cold, and that didn't have much effect either.
When I was driving today, the GPS locator had a bad lag in it, I would be down two blocks before it would catch up, and I live in a 3G area, and not a giant city like NY or something.
I wonder if it's because it's so bloated with Samsung UI on it, or if it's just the a bug. Either way, if I'm still having issues with it, I'll see if AT&T will exchange it out for a different one. Otherwise back to the 3GS, which I really don't want to do since I'm loving Android right now.

What does hot start and cold start do?

skizzz said:
What does hot start and cold start do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hot Start - The GPS receiver remembers its last calculated position and which satellites were in view, the almanac used, and the UTC Time. It then performs a reset and attempts to acquire satellites and calculate a new position based upon the previous information.
Cold Start - The GPS receiver dumps all information and resets. It then attempts to locate satellites and then calculate a GPS lock. This takes the longest because there is no known information. The GPS receiver has to attempt to lock a satellite signal from all of the satellites, basically like polling, which takes a lot longer than knowing which satellites to look for.

Danm a cold start sounds like it would be slower. I tried it and I still can't get a lock within a reasonable range.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Appb

I've been reading online that the Galaxy S got a firmware update that greatly improved/fixed the GPS problems we are experiencing. I can only assume that we will have to wait as well for this firmware to completely fix the gps issue.

Try the fix/workaround in the Vibrant forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611
I went from seeing 1 satellite and none locked to 7-10 seen and 5-7 locked.

tbae2 said:
I've been reading online that the Galaxy S got a firmware update that greatly improved/fixed the GPS problems we are experiencing. I can only assume that we will have to wait as well for this firmware to completely fix the gps issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you read this? I've been looking for something like this, preferably from Samsung.

i havent had too many problems with GPS here
Google maps usually locks me in a few seconds
Third party applications can take much longer, however
The problem might be the way the third party apps utilize the GPS

lyu370 said:
Try the fix/workaround in the Vibrant forum.
I went from seeing 1 satellite and none locked to 7-10 seen and 5-7 locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually that isn't a fix at all. It makes locking onto satellites much faster, but nothing to address the sensitivity issues, and there is definitely an issue. I 'found' 9 satellites, but could only lock onto two of them, for a few seconds at a time, then back to zero, out in the open.
Hopefully a software fix is on the way.
Source: /showthread.php?t=728611&page=5

This fix did help me so now i get a quick lock...as ling as i dint start moving around. It stays close enough to exact to use for driving around but not more accurate than that. The problem isn't really getting a lock so much as keeping it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

tdusen said:
Compare to my G1, the Captivate take about the same time to lock and GPStest says the SNR is better. I'm happy with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I change my mind. While what I said still stands, I've since found that the GPS and the Compass don't track very well. I tried find a geocache using the same GeOrg software I use on my G1. The location seemed to be stuck as I was walking. From my experience with the Tilt, I'd say the GPS is running in "Static Navigation"
The clock is ticking, GPS has to be fixed in 28 days, or the phone gets returned.

lyu370 said:
Try the fix/workaround in the Vibrant forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728611
I went from seeing 1 satellite and none locked to 7-10 seen and 5-7 locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was having problems w/ GPS on my phone as well. Would be way off in Google Maps, Navigator took forever to lock, and geo-tagging photos was also way off. I did something similar - dialed the code to get to the GPS settings. However, all I did was turn Skyhook to ON and switched configuration from manual to auto. I don't seem to have any problems between yesterday and today. It locks incredibly quick and is very very accurate.
Some of you should try this method and see if it helps with anything. Good luck.

Very Slow gps lock

I just got my sensation yesterday, coming from the G2x, my gps lock when using google maps/navigation takes more than 10 minutes to lock. I turn in in landscape mode loses data connection as well. Anyone else experiencing very slow gps locks? My g2 was instant

Something is wrong. Mine takes about 20-30 sec.

Return it
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

Same exact thing here except for the data issue, on my second device and its nothing like my G2. Have you Tested other areas? Use gps test (by Chartcross Limited) and see your signal strength and how many satellites you can connect to.
My G2 can see 12 in a few sec
My Sensation only sees 3-0 at poor signal

Don't really have an option to return it cause I purchased it off of craigslist, and I use Simple Mobile. So I don't even have a T-Mobile account. Unless someone knows a work around this, I am forced to send it to HTC for "repair".

Just got my Sensation yesterday. First thing I tested was GPS. My heart sank when it saw zero sats outside. Tried various test apps, Google Maps, etc., checked and double checked settings, rebooted several times. Nothing. The GPS icon never even showed in the notification bar. Was about to box it up to send back and decided to pop the battery out. Rebooted, and bingo! Excellent signal strength even indoors, very quick locks, typically accurate to under 15 ft, and very stable map location. As close to perfect GPS as I had hoped for. Coming from the Vibrant GPS fiasco I'm VERY happy.

wish I could say the same about mine

mariopm2005 said:
wish I could say the same about mine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you download GPS test from the market and use the calibration tools? It could help. Or you can also try pulling the battery (old BB trick) instead of restarting to see if that helps. Keep your head up.

I got mine yesterday and had the same experience. I fixed it as follows:
SETTINGS->LOCATION -> Make sure "Use Wireless Networks" is UNCHECKED
Since unchecking that option, my locks are much faster.
However I turned WiFi Calling on and it started behaving like before. Never seeing satellites, minutes for lock.
I turned off WiFi Calling and now I get <10sec lock again.
Sounds like a software issue that HTC needs to figure out.
Let me know if anyone has success with this.

Did you try it out inside?
I just went outside and it's pretty cloudy and got 5locks in 3seconds and 10locks in under 10 seconds.
So there is something wrong or you are doing something wrong

Weak GPS?

Just used my one x to navigate to work today. GPS seemed really fragile in that if I wasn't holding.the phone directly under my windshield it quickly lost GPS signal. It would re lock after putting it back under the wibdshield.
Anyone else? Comments/tweaks/solutions greatly appreciated.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

I saw a few similar comments in other forums as well. I'd suggest you go back and exchange for another one. Any tweaks will only temporary ease the problem for a few days but a permanant solution is to get a phone that just works out of box.

Ugh, was hoping I wouldn't hear this problem pop up. Horrible GPS on my Captivate so was hoping to hear the GPS on the One X was good. Hopefully this is a rare problem...

I've seen it in using the speedtest app - where it will have problems locating a server near me (which there are quite a few) - not sure if this is an app problem or gps problem. I haven't had a chance to use gps much besides that...

I tested out the GPS last night on my way home; it locked extremely quickly and held onto it the whole time. I thought it worked very well.
For what its worth, I'm in Texas.

GPS is amazing on mine. Better than my DHD. I consistently get locks in less than 10 seconds, and most of the time it's less than 5. Maybe it's an AT&T thing, since I'm on Rogers.

Mine locks within 10 seconds in the house, I had a bunch of fc so I reset my phone to factory settings and the GPS and fc are gone. I would try factory rest then use GPS status.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

when it locks onto you, is it right where you are at or just close by? Mine seems to find me quickly, but it is always like just across the street or similar.

The GPS is definitely weaker,
My Skyrocket locks on inside of my house within 10-20 seconds and gives a very accurate reading (pinpoints my room). The One X takes about a minute to lock and it shows me inside my neighbors house..
I'll have to try this out on the road later on, might be an issue for navigation

Used mine today for something on the job. Locked extremely quick and worked fine the entire time.

Mine took under ten second to lock inside my house, but it did show me at my neighbors home. Good enough for me.
Sent from my HTC One X

I used the GPS a bit last night to track a short walk around my neighborhood and found the results to be a bit disappointing. I don't use GPS often, and my last phone was a Captivate, so I"m not sure if maybe I was expecting too much it seemed to have lost the signal at least twice and it plotted me all over the place (road) when it did hold the signal. I had it in my pocket most of the time, so perhaps I was expecting too much for those conditions.

Did you guys enable GPS satellites from location settings? Mine would load locations before I did but only was super accurate when I turned it on.

mesasone said:
I used the GPS a bit last night to track a short walk around my neighborhood and found the results to be a bit disappointing. I don't use GPS often, and my last phone was a Captivate, so I"m not sure if maybe I was expecting too much it seemed to have lost the signal at least twice and it plotted me all over the place (road) when it did hold the signal. I had it in my pocket most of the time, so perhaps I was expecting too much for those conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, GPS in Captivate is crap. That's well known fact. Everything else should be much better. My Galaxy S2 is very consistent in tracking. I don't expect HOX be any different. You should have 15 to 30 feet accuracy all the time.

Does the HOX use GLONASS?

Cryosx said:
Does the HOX use GLONASS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.

I tried it out a few times with gps test. I get 10+ satellites within 10 seconds indoors. That's the most satellites I've had on any phone I've owned.

GPS is a little weaker than on my Skyrocket but still good enough to get me around. Just used it today without a problem. If I had never had the skyrocket I would have said that it's "normal" for what I've seen in other phones.

Are you experiencing GPS flakiness? Try this.

I discovered this when I turned GPS off out of disgust. I was having very inconsistent problems. Sometimes GPS would take a long time to lock. Sometimes it would never lock. Sometimes it would lock, but place me at the wrong coordinates. Sometimes, it would be working and then just stop working mid-trip; just general flakiness.
So, I turned it off. Then, the next day I tried to use Google Maps and that reminded me to turn it back on. Immediate (I mean, like 2 sec!) lock and correct coordinates. I turned it back off. Later, turned it back on and checked maps again. Immediate lock. Since then I've duplicated it several times. This is on the same ROM where I was having problems (I've had intermittent problems regardless of which ROM I flash) getting a lock before. Now, inside, outside, it makes no difference. It just works.
Sooooo, the only reason I could think of that it would only work when it had been off is if there is a hardware problem causing the chipset to heat-up and fail intermittently with use. Either that, or some kind of cache is building up that is causing problems, but my money is on the former. And that is something I'll have to return it under warranty for.
If you are having GPS issues, try that on your phone. Leave GPS entirely off for a day, and then turn it on and immediately give it a try.

UberSuber said:
I discovered this when I turned GPS off out of disgust. I was having very inconsistent problems. Sometimes GPS would take a long time to lock. Sometimes it would never lock. Sometimes it would lock, but place me at the wrong coordinates. Sometimes, it would be working and then just stop working mid-trip; just general flakiness.
So, I turned it off. Then, the next day I tried to use Google Maps and that reminded me to turn it back on. Immediate (I mean, like 2 sec!) lock and correct coordinates. I turned it back off. Later, turned it back on and checked maps again. Immediate lock. Since then I've duplicated it several times. This is on the same ROM where I was having problems (I've had intermittent problems regardless of which ROM I flash) getting a lock before. Now, inside, outside, it makes no difference. It just works.
Sooooo, the only reason I could think of that it would only work when it had been off is if there is a hardware problem causing the chipset to heat-up and fail intermittently with use. Either that, or some kind of cache is building up that is causing problems, but my money is on the former. And that is something I'll have to return it under warranty for.
If you are having GPS issues, try that on your phone. Leave GPS entirely off for a day, and then turn it on and immediately give it a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is common on samsung devices...normally i turn off gps, toggle airplane mode on/off, turn gps back on, and it locks quickly.

I've been banging my head off of the wall over my gps, we have 4 gs3s and 3 have good gps and mine sucks. I swore it was from unlocking the bootloader so I odined the phone (3 times) the gps is a little better but still not as fast and accurate as the other 3. I can get 8 satellites but no lock sometimes.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I really am thinking it is isolated to certain devices. Mine has no gps issues, toggle is always on, works fast across all roms I've run (aosp, tw, jb tw). Maybe people's devices with issues came off the assembly line on a Friday around 5:00!
Sent from my Galaxy Player 5.0 running CM9

First off, I turned my GPS off overnight, the first time I've done so since noticing the GPS issue, and it gave me a tight location within 10s.
I've used the GPS all over the NE US and Hawaii without issue thru August, then I rooted all of our phones, (4 GS3's) when the update came out in order to block it and to ensure I could root if I ever decided to. I took my phone a step further and used the ez unlock app for no particular reason. Around that time, I'm still not sure it's related, my GPS started getting flaky. First I tried updating radios and that didn't help, then I odined to the HD leak and the GPS got a little better, I then tried the GPS.conf files from the GPS fix in the development thread and that didn't help either, I then Odined again and the problem lessened but out of nowhere I began getting a com.android.phone error and couldn't use the phone, another Odin last night then this thread popped up. I guess we'll see how things work out today.

GPS Stopped working

Friend of mine recently told me her GPS on her verizon S3 stopped working. she brought it by, i flashed the newest build of cleanrom on it today and sure enough the GPS still doesnt work. everything needed is turned on but it doesnt get a lock. i checked it with the GPS Status app and it shows like 0/20 satellites and doesnt lock to any. only way i was able to actually get somewhat of a lock on google maps was to hook it up to WiFi and let it gather from that.
any suggestions?

Somewhat common problem. I haven't found a fix as of yet. There is a gps fix somewhere in these forums though that sort of helps. my phone had the same problem. Going back to stock or to any custom rom, nothing worked, the gps was just dead. After flashing one of the fixes I finally managed to get it to get locks, but it needs like 7-8 satellites to get a fix, is highly inaccurate, and loses gps lock a few times on every trip.
Here's the gps fix page
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1880411
I use Galaxy s3 test 3 alt, it's the only one that gets any lock for me. The first time and other intermittent times can take up to 10 minutes or more though, and rebooting the phone or trying again another day does sometimes help.
I know it is definitely the phone, as my pantech marauder which has the same SoC which should be very similar for gps location, finds and locks on to 6-8 towers in like 10 seconds or less all the time, even indoors, and gets location accurate to less than 100ft with 4 satellites while the gs3 needs 7-8 satellites to get a lock to 300-600ft

If none of the software fixes work. And the stock unrooted software does not receive GPS lock.
I would highly recommend replacing the GPS antenna just in case.
I'm 90% sure the headphone jack. External speaker. WiFi antenna and GPS antenna are all in one unit.
This piece is sold for cheap on Amazon. Or eBay or whatever.
Replacing is simply a removing a couple screws and popping the old one out.
Here is a link to eBay
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=160890063224
Possibly you could find one cheaper.
Hopefully this is it for you.
Let me know how it goes.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I too have this problem: the GPS no longer gets a fix w/o a data connection
the phone recently did an update to jb 411 and now no gps fix w/o data.
I do NOT believe its the antenna.
does anyone else with the os in sight have any info?

palm2droid said:
I too have this problem: the GPS no longer gets a fix w/o a data connection
the phone recently did an update to jb 411 and now no gps fix w/o data.
I do NOT believe its the antenna.
does anyone else with the os in sight have any info?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too have the same problems on this rom